Your vehicle needs to be jacked up first. Behind the front wheel, feel under the automobile. The jack point will be underneath the automobile, beneath the leading edge of the door. Underneath this point, slide the jack.
Use a 17mm socket to break the wheel bolts loose before lifting the car. The wheels and nuts can then be removed by lifting the car. There is a detachable panel in the fender well in front of the wheel. Press the panel’s two tabs downward to release it.
The headlight access cover is located behind the panel. Rotate the housing cover counterclockwise while holding it to take it off. By pressing down on the tab above the bulb’s plug with a flathead screwdriver, you can remove the bulb while the headlight harness is still attached.
Remove the bulb and harness from the housing of the headlight. After that, remove the bulb’s plug and discard the old one. Plug the fresh bulb into the headlight harness after removing it from its packing. As installing the bulb, avoid touching the glass because your hand’s oils could cause the bulb to crack when it heats up.
Reinstall the housing cover and the fender well cover after installing the new bulb in the headlight. Refit the wheel to the vehicle next. To tighten and torque the nuts to 140Nm, or 103 ft-lbs, use a 17mm wheel socket.
Authored by:
owner of a 1973 Porsche 914 and a 1998 Impreza 2.5RS with a flat-six engine swap. only when opposing perspectives are horizontal.
In This Article...
Replace Headlight Bulb Service
The typical price for replacing the headlight bulb on a BMW 328i GT xDrive is $123; this includes $28 for components and $95 for labor. Prices may change based on where you are.
What is the turnaround time for a BMW headlight replacement?
- Pick a spot with sufficient lighting in your garage or a tidy portion of your driveway to work on your car. Be calm and give yourself plenty of time (at least two hours) to change a headlight. It can be straightforward, but it also might turn out to be trickier than you anticipated.
- Any fasteners and retaining clips you’ve taken off should go in a container or jar. Otherwise, they’d be too simple to lose.
- Mark the location of the wiring removal with masking tape and a felt-tip pen to ensure that it is reinstalled accurately.
- Kneeling or working beneath the car can be made more comfortable by using an old throw rug, a rubber mat, or a sizable piece of clean cardboard to lie on.
- When connections are made, keep an eye out for a loud click.
We anticipate that your headlight replacement efforts will succeed if you follow these advice. We also hope that you don’t need to replace as many bulbs as this guy:
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How much does a BMW headlight replacement cost?
It can cost up to $985 for a BMW headlamp assembly without a bulb, not counting accessories. LED bulbs, which you may find on a top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz or a Honda Civic, are said to last longer but also cost more money. The cost of LED replacements can range from $100 for headlights to $350 for brake lights.
Can I convert the headlights on my BMW to LEDs?
Similar to this, you can easily switch to LED capsules if your BMW has projector headlights. Should you so want, you may also select for brighter variations or other aftermarket goods. Replace or improve both of your headlights and taillights, not just one.
Can I change the headlight bulb on my own?
Without touching the bulb’s glass, carefully screw in the new bulb. If you do, the oil and grime on your hands could cause the bulb to burst once it heats up. Your car’s hood should be closed. Your headlights ought to work perfectly again after installing the new bulb, allowing you to enjoy driving your automobile day or night.
Most of the time, changing a headlight is simple and doesn’t need sending your car to the shop. See what other do-it-yourself auto maintenance tasks are available.
How can I tell whether the headlights on my BMW are HIDs?
The colors of the beam pattern typically vary depending on the choice. Go ahead, turn on your headlights, approach a garage door, and take a look. Look at the beam pattern; if it’s yellow, it probably has a halogen bulb as its typical power source.
When you turn on your headlights, if they flash briefly, they are likely HID if they continue to flash for a prolonged period of time (about seven to ten seconds at peak performance and usually in a white color). When you turn on your headlights, they usually have factory LED if they instantly come on with a nice, white light.
Can you easily replace your own headlight?
Even if you have the most expensive wheels, if your headlights aren’t working, it won’t mean much (and as we know from numerous movies and cop shows, a burned-out light will lead to an unwelcome stop by a highway patrol car). Thankfully, changing a headlight bulb is a rather simple procedure.
Tools required:
- brand-new light bulb(s) Make sure you purchase the appropriate bulb type for your car (your local auto parts store should be able to match a bulb with your make and model)
- alcohol-based tissues and wipes (to clean and hold the new bulb)
- tool for Phillips screws
Instead of from the front of the automobile, you’ll access your headlight bulb via the engine compartment. Locate the headlight close to the front of the car by opening the hood. It will be housed in a bulb holder and connected to the bulb by a power connector, which typically has three wires.
Depending on your vehicle, the power cables are connected to a plug at the base of the headlamp and secured by a plastic catch, a metal clip, or a screw cap. Push down on the little lever at the top of the plastic catch as you take the plug out. Hold onto the metal clip as you draw it up and away if you’re dealing with one. When working with a screw cap, turn it counter-clockwise to unscrew it.
Holding onto the base of the old bulb, you should be able to remove the back of the headlight holder after the wires have been severed. In some circumstances, you might need to slightly spin the bulb to release it.
Use tissues or gloves to handle the replacement bulb; you don’t want your skin’s oils to get on it. Before you install it, you should give it a thorough cleaning with an alcohol wipe. When the bulb is prepared, insert it into the plug’s base. No rubber gasket will be seen if it has been placed properly. The headlight holder and power wires can be plugged back in when the bulb has been installed. Make sure to switch on your headlights to test the bulb.
Working with your headlights differs slightly from changing your rear tail lights, which include your brake lights. On some models, you may unscrew the housing that houses the bulb from the outside, while on other models, you have to do so from inside the trunk. To access the bulb after unscrewing the housing, you might need to work with tabs, screws, or tiny knobs on the tail light cover (make sure not to lose the screws if you need to remove them). The electrical wiring won’t need to be taken out, but be careful not to pull the housing out too much lest you rip the wires.
The bulb should be easy to remove by either pulling it out straight (as in most contemporary cars) or by pushing it in while simultaneously unscrewing. Replace the housing and reattach it when the replacement bulb has been installed (screws, tabs, knobs, etc.). Once more, be careful to test the bulb by turning the ignition on and using the brakes.
Can a headlight bulb be installed incorrectly?
Since LEDs are low wattage, there is very little possibility that you may damage yourself while installing them.
So they aren’t harmful as long as you plug them into the headlight, attach the power line, and turn them on, right?
Installing headlights backwards poses a risk to both you and other motorists.
The main justification for this is that installing them upside down will completely alter the beam pattern of the headlights.
Actually, low beams will be just as bright as high beams. Oncoming traffic may be rendered blind, which may result in accidents.
Drivers claim that it might take them up to five seconds to recover after being blinded by headlights, according to a UK poll by the RAC. If you’re moving at 60 mph, you’ll cover 135 meters in five seconds while blinded; a lot can happen in that period.
In most US states, it is against the law to have your high beam headlights on within 500 feet of another vehicle, whether it is moving in the same direction as you are or in opposition to you, for fear of blinding someone in their rearview mirror. Make sure your headlights aren’t too bright in order to keep your car on the road.
Even if you avoid unintentionally blinding other motorists, you will be able to detect when the beams aren’t set up properly. Either they point too high, more into the sky than straight ahead, or they point too low, too close to the car.
If your LED headlights aren’t installed properly, you won’t have the adequate visibility you require, which increases the hazard of driving at night or in low visibility.
Given that LED lights are significantly brighter than halogen bulbs, it is even more important to make sure that they are placed properly.
Can LEDs be used to replace factory-installed headlights?
Since you now know that you may use LED or HID bulb conversion kits to replace halogen bulbs, you may be curious as to how they operate.
Headlight bulbs that are entirely compatible with stock halogen headlights make up the bulk of both LED and Xenon HID conversion kits. Aside from the varied technologies, the biggest distinction between the two is the extras included in each kit.
Kits for converting to LED headlights come with a set of bulbs and LED drivers. The LED bulbs are essentially compatible with your vehicle because the bulbs provide the light and the drivers control the passage of electricity from your car to the LEDs.
The locking tabs and sockets on the LED bulbs will be the same as those on your halogen bulbs. As a result, the bulbs will fit your housing exactly and connect to the power harness of your car or truck without any issues.
Conversion kits for HID headlights are relatively similar. A set of bulbs, ballasts, and ignitors are included in HID kits. The HID bulbs effectively make the HID bulbs compatible with your car by producing the light while the ballasts and ignitors control the flow of power from your vehicle to the HID bulbs.
HID bulbs are made in the same way as standard bulbs in terms of their locking tabs and plugs, just like LEDs. The HID bulbs will exactly fit your housing and connect to the power harness of your car.